Saturday, 14 May 2011

It seems fitting today to post the second part of my post in relation to George Ellis.

194 years ago today, my Great, Great Great Grandfather, George Ellis left the employ of the 10th Hussars having served 20 years and 48 days and was discharged at Brighton Sussex.

Statement of Service - 10th Royal Hussars, March 1797 - May 1817

The National Archives WO97/45/38

Discharged in 1817 after serving 20 years and three months, injuries of

Stricture of Urethra, subject to fits and severe injury of the shoulder

The National Archives WO97/45/38

George is named on the Peninsular Medal Roll as receiving 4 clasps with the following particulars:

S & B = Sahagan & Benevente

V = Vittoria

O = Orthes

T= Toulouse

This looks like where George sustained the injuries that lead to his discharge three years later.

In the early part of 2010 I was searching The National Archives site and came across a reference to George Ellis, late of the 10th Light Dragoons in relation to a pension. When the document arrived I looked and for whatever reason didn't spot that although this document relates to someone else there is an insert in relation to George. Here is the full document.

Full document from the National Archives with the insert relating to George Ellis 1819

The National Archives WO121/182/42

Insert relating to George Ellis. Who still had not received monies from

the war pension in 1819.

The National Archives WO121/182/42

A further search at the National Archives revealed another reference

WO121/182/42 (see film 134) - Records of Royal Hospital Chelsea - Certificates of service and related correspondence - with a mention of 11th Royal Veteran Battalion (see above)

Monday, 9 May 2011

This post is about my 4th times Great Grandfather George Ellis. He has lead me on quite a journey, which is why the post is so late in being cast out to the ether.

About two months ago I received via Genes Reunited a message from a fellow researcher. We corresponded and confirmed that we were indeed connected to the same family. It then became clear to both of us that some of the data, collated 20 years ago was incorrect. My whole world stopped. How incorrect? I was right, I had the correct individual, and the details of his marriages, well two of them anyway, and of this son, my direct line of descent. What was incorrect was the birth place of his other children. I revisited my original notes and for reasons which are unclear, I have indeed made a mistake, thankfully, it can be rectified and hasn't caused too much disruption.

George Ellis was baptised on 12 June 1774 at Holy Trinity Church in Guildford Surrey, the son of James Ellis and Elizabeth Bridger.

George is located as an apprentice, which confirms that George at the age of 17 years, was apprenticed to Richard Fludder, a blacksmith of Puttenham for a period of 4 years, to learn the trade for his keep and a wage of 2/- weekly for the first year, 2/6 for second year, 3/- for third year and 3/6 for the remainder, but he was turned away without notice after 3 and a half years.

We can therefore estimate the time he was apprenticed was from 1791 - 1794 or 1795. We know he joined the military in 1797, and that he was married to an unknown wife pre 1805 because when he marries Sarah Beagel in 1805, he is classed as a widower.

"To participate:
*Write a blog post about an Australian or New Zealander serviceman or woman’s family, and the impact war had on their family history.
*Publish your post by 25 April 2011
*Post a comment with the URL on the Auckland Research Centre’s Facebook page under discussion or on the relevant post on the Twigs of Yore blog."

This is the document that relates to Edward Ellis, born in Geelong Victoria Australia the son of Frederick Ellis (1845 - 1914) and Sarah Ann Newton (1851 - 1923) on 3rd March 1882 and was one of 14 children. All of Edward's siblings were born in Australia, but his father, Frederick had been born in Elstead Surrey in 1846 and was 8 years old when his parents migrated as free settlers to Geelong in 1854 on board the James Baines.

As I typed the above I realised that I really didn't know too much about Edward and my family history software had not been updated, so I pulled out the Ellis folder. Back in 1991, I had located various bits of information about Edward and here are those details:

Born at Mount Duneed 3rd March 1882 and Baptised at the Wesleyan Church in Geelong 6 June 1884.

A tuber player in Geelong Harbour Trust Band circa 1913.

He enlisted at Cootamundra, New South Wales on 20th July 1916 and left Australia on 9th November 1916 on board The Benalla.

He disembarked in Devonport (Plymouth Devon England) on 9th January 1917.

He proceeded to France on 30th September 1917 and was wounded in action (left leg) at Rouelles in August 1918.

He was discharged in England in January 1919 and returned to Australia on board The Karoa.

Having read the above in the file some obvious questions sprang to mind:

Questions:

What was the significance of the Wesleyan Church? Why not a C of E Church?

What further details could I establish about the Harbour Trust Band

Why did he enlist in Cootamundra? It is some distance from Geelong, but is mainly farming territory. Ironically, I have been to both Geelong and Cootamundra!

He was disembarked in Devonport, only about an hour from here in the car. What other records exist in the UK?

Locate Rouelles in France

Did he know of his English heritage and roots and did he venture to Surrey to meet any of the family?

Thursday, 17 February 2011

Last year I commented on the post of George Ellis that there was an address on the reverse.

The address read and refer to Eliza Ellis and her husband Charles Hudson.

St KildaRegent StreetLeedervilleWestern Australia

From my notes my cousin who descends from John Ellis born 1817 in Elstead and now lives in Victoria wrote to the address as it is written above in May 1991 in the vague hope we might have had a reply, but alas the letter was returned by Australia Post as address no longer known.

Wednesday, 16 February 2011

I was given this picture by one of my Grandfather's first cousin's and I recall showing it to my Great Aunt. Her sight wasn't particularly good, but I wondered if she had ever seen the photo, so I asked her.

I was surprised and delighted with the answer, which was, I don't just recall the photograph she said, I took the photograph she said really proudly. Well that was two of us who were proud.

The photograph is of my Maternal Great Great Grandparents, Henry Harris (1843 - 1929) and Caroline Harris nee Ellis (1844 -1935). The couple had married on 3rd December 1864 at Puttenham Surrey. This photograph was taken on the occasion of their 60th Wedding Anniversary in 1924 and was taken at Manor Farm at Wanborough Surrey.

Henry and Caroline raised a family of 10 children born between 1864 and 1885, their eldest child, born just a few weeks after their wedding.

The following is one of a series of posts for the Family History Writing Challenge - Day 15 (For more information on the challenge click here)

I have always thought that my Ellis families from Puttenham and Elstead were connected. When I initially embarked upon trying to untangle the Ellis I shared my thoughts with Ivy Sheffield, who was my Grandfather's first cousin. Ivy was then in her late 70s, but like most of the Grandchildren of Caroline Harris, nee Ellis, Ivy had an amazing memory and as I explained my hypothesis to her, she simply nodded and said I suspect your right. Not perhaps the most helpful of statements, but I felt that there was perhaps some truth in my thought process.

Then in 1990 I met a contact, I can't even remember how we met, but someone who shared a connection to one of the Ellis families in Elstead. She didn't live too far from Elstead and I was invited to tea and to see the documents and photos she had. They were delightful. With hindsight I wish I had photographed them, but I didn't, although I did transcribe and described the documents. The transcripts of those documents is online. Following that meeting I was even more confused and I elected to go back to basics and start again with a clear head.

The bottom line was there were too many families in the same 4 mile radius each having children and calling them all the same names. See the problem?, but there was a glimmer of light on the horizon and I remember telling myself at the time that I must not get swept away and caught up in the details that I was about to unravel.

The first thing was to head back to Ivy. Her son in law, (DW), was the Grandson of a man, from Elstead called Job Ellis. DW presented me with a birthday book that had come down through his family, and was understood to have originally belonged to Adelaide Underwood. I copied the details and like the other Ellis material it is online. It was the least of my problems to know where Adelaide Underwood slotted into the general mix. So my big question was to DW what is the connection between your Grandfather Job and your wife's Grandmother Caroline? The answer was a smile and then "that is what your to find out!" I could have cried. I didn't of course. DW reached into a photograph album and very kindly lent me some photographs that I shall load to the Ellis' of Elstead blog.

So, now I had four sets of Ellis families in the parishes of Elstead, Puttenham, Godalming and Guildford, and in 1992 I met a fifth connection to the Ellis families.

My Great Great Grandmother Caroline Ellis born 1844 the daughter of George and Prudence nee Budd in Puttenham.

Job Ellis born in Elstead in 1848 and the Grandfather of DW

The family of John Ellis born 1817 in Elstead whose family had migrated to Geelong Australia in 1854. I had already made connections with at least three other researchers in Australia and met them during their time in England, or mine in Australia

The family of my contact OS whose family came from Elstead.

The family of my contact BE whose husband's family came from Elstead.

The early families, were easy to work on.

John Ellis born 1817 was the nephew to Job Ellis through the marriage of George Ellis and Sarah Hall in 1801 and subsequent lineage to James Ellis

Caroline Ellis born 1844 was the Second Cousin to John Ellis leading to James Ellis

Caroline Ellis born 1844 was the third Cousin to Job Ellis leading to James Ellis

Initial research has shown that James Ellis, who is the key to this entire family was one of three sons who were the children of James Ellis born circa 1690 and Jane Edwards who married in Peperharrow in 1710. As to what happened to the other two children of James and Jane I have no idea, and I am almost to frighted to find out!

The members who connect to the families of OS and BE are related and eventually join up and connect to Job Ellis.

So I was right when I sat and said to Ivy I think they all connect, I simply hadn't thought that they connected back in 1710!

Monday, 1 March 2010

Back in the Spring of 1990 I was visiting an elderly cousin,whose Grandmother was a Caroline Ellis of Puttenham. The cousin whose daughter had married the Grandson of a chap called Job Ellis from Elstead found it somewhat amusing that perhaps the Ellis connection was stronger than were first thought. Over a cuppa and chat I was presented with a birthday book and it is this book that is transcribed here, written in the order the details appear in the book.

Sadly the photo has not been made available to me, but the following were the details on the reverse:

"Alice Ellis nee Wareham, wife of George Ellis. Mother of Stephen Frank Ellis. She had sons, Henry,Philip,Leonard,Stephen,Percival and daughter Olive. Survived her daughter and son George killed in 1914-1918 War"

Your letter asking for news of your son reached me. It is with great regret that I am unable to give you any further news.

Ellis has been missing since July 13th and nothing further has been heard of him. I am very much afraid that he was killed on that date with many other brave fellows. He was an awfully good fellow and I miss him greatly"

In reply to your enquiry of 18th August 1916. I am commanded by the Army Council to inform you that 1682 Private G.C.Ellis of 7th Royal West Surrey has been reported in a casualty list which has reached this office as missing since 13th-14th July 1916

Back in 1990 I was introduced to a lady (described in the taglines as OS), who descended from one of the Ellis families of Elstead. The question was, were we descended from the same family?

Research has shown that we were, but we were not connected in the way I thought we were! Nonetheless, we spent some time together chatting about what we knew of the Ellis' and I was introduced to some of this lady's family documents. There were not many documents, which date to the troublesome days of the Great War, but I thought that twenty years after first seeing them, a quick transcript (and subsequent research) would be nicely committed to the world wide web.

About Me

I am a Surrey girl, who is very proud of her roots, which go back almost 300 years in Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire. I currently live in the West Country of England, but Surrey is always home! I am also half Italian and thus have an interest in Italian culture and genealogy.

After a career in pharmacy management spanning more than 20 years, I made the decision to look at my options as to where my professional life was heading. I wanted to expand my work portfolio within the training and writing arena; to utilise my historical and research skills along with other qualifications and years of experience. I created The Book of Me, Written by You back in the Autumn of 2012. It threads together the focus of my interests and qualifications. Enabling me to encourage others to think beyond the obvious as we analyse our own lives and those of our close family members.

Copyright

The material on these pages is the copyright of Julie Goucher & Anglers Rest unless stated. Material on this site may be used for personal reference only. If you wish to use any of the material on this site for other means, please seek the written permission of Julie Goucher & Anglers Rest.